Customer Service Better Email Response Toolkit
Table of Contents

Tool #1:
Clear, Correct, Concise E-Mail: A Writing Workbook for Customer Service Agents
Introduction — How to Use the Writing Workbook
What is the Workbook?
For Customer Service Agents

• How to use the Workbook to improve job skills
  
• How long will it take to complete the Workbook?
  For Managers
  
• How to use the Workbook to improve your staff’s writing
  Chapter 1 — What Makes a Great Customer Service E-Mail?
  Ten essential traits of responsive customer service e-mail
  Chapter 2 — Pre-Test: Assess Your Writing Skills
  Take this Pre-Test to find out what you know and what you need to learn
  Chapter 3 - Write Clear, Strong Sentences
  Learn how to
• Write in the active voice
• Put modifiers in the right place
• Write full sentences, not fragments or run-ons
• Choose strong verbs to give your writing power Chapter 4 — Write with a Polite, Positive, and Personal Tone
  Learn how
• Words affect tone
• Personalizing your e-mail makes customers feel valued
• Plain, simple language contributes to a polite, positive, and personal tone Chapter 5 — Select the Correct Word and Spell It Right
  Learn
• Why spelling matters
• How to become a better speller
• How to distinguish between confusing sound-alike and look-alike words Chapter 6 — Punctuate Correctly
  Learn rules for the most common punctuation marks in customer service e-mail
• period
• comma
• apostrophe
• semicolon
• colon Chapter 7 — Write for Global Readers
  Learn
• How to identify idioms that confuse global customers
• How to replace idioms with literal expressions
• How to write customer service e-mail that is sensitive to cultural differences
• How to write gender-neutral e-mail Chapter 8 — Put It All Together: Apply What You’ve Learned about Writing Customer Service E-Mail
  Practice
• Applying what you’ve learned in previous chapters
• Writing and revising complete e-mail messages to customers Chapter 9 — Writing Resources
  Learn about
• Print and online resources to improve your writing Chapter 10 - Writing Practices: 33 Practice Worksheets & 7 Checklists
  Write Clear, Strong Sentences: 5 Worksheets
  Practice a. Change Passive Voice to Active Voice
  Practice b. Move Modifiers to Make Sentences Clearer
  Practice c. Change Fragments into Full Sentences
  Practice d. Change Run-Ons into Full Sentences
  Practice e. Replace Weak Verbs with Strong Verbs
  Write with Polite, Positive, and Personal Tone: 6 Worksheets
  Practice a. Revise Angry E-Mail to Make it Polite and Positive
  Practice b. Write a Personalized Greeting, Opening, and Closing
  Practice c. Revise Using Personal Pronouns to Improve Tone
  Practice d. Replace These Inflated Expressions with Plain Language
  Practice e. Revise Using Plain Language
  Practice f. Write with a Polite, Positive, and Personal Tone
  Select the Correct Word and Spell It Right: 2 Worksheets
  Practice a. Choose the Correct Word
  Practice b. Find the Misused Word and Replace It with the Correct Word
  Punctuate Correctly: 6 Worksheets
  Practice a. Use the Period Correctly
  Practice b. Use the Comma Correctly
  Practice c. Use the Apostrophe Correctly
  Practice d. Use the Semicolon Correctly
  Practice f. Use the Colon Correctly
  Practice g. Add Punctuation to This Message
  Write for Global Reader: 7 Worksheets
  Practice a. Find Substitutes for Idiomatic Expressions
  Practice b. Edit to Remove Idiomatic Expressions
  Practice c. Find and Replace Idioms
  Practice d. Revise the Agent’s Response to a Global Reader
  Practice e. Write an E-Mail to a Global Customer
  Practice f. Revise a Sentence to Make It Gender Neutral
  Practice g. Use the Gender-Neutral Checklist to Revise an E-Mail
  Put It All Together: Apply What You’ve Learned about Writing Customer Service E-Mail - 7 Worksheets
  Practice a. Correct the Spelling, Punctuation and Word Usage Errors in This E-Mail
  Practice b. Improve the Sentences in This E-Mail
  Practice c. Improve the Customer Service Agent’s Tone in This E-Mail
  Practice d. Answer a Customer’s Angry E-Mail with a Polite, Positive, and Personal Tone
  Practice c. Answer A Global Customer’s E-Mail Using Idiom-Free, Gender-Neutral Language
  Practice d. Answer a Customer’s E-Mail about a Product
  Practice e. Answer a Customer’s E-Mail about a Service
  Writing Tools: 7 Lists & Checklists
  Checklist 1: Ten Traits of a Great Customer Service E-Mail
  Checklist 2 : Write With a Polite, Positive, and Personal Tone
  List of Plain Language Alternatives for Inflated Expressions
  List of Frequently Confused Words: Sound-Alikes and Look-Alikes
  Checklist 3: Write for Global Customers
  Checklist 4: Five Techniques for Making Your Writing Gender Neutral
  List of Substitutes for Idiomatic Expressions
  Tool #2: Customer Service Email Writing Skills Competency Exam
  Tool #3: Administrator's Guide to the Customer Service Email Writing Skills Competency Exam
  Tool #4: Certificate of Course Completion
  Tool #5: Certificate of Email Competency
  
  

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Customer Service Email Response Improvement Toolkit